A U.S. female soldier was killed Wednesday in a roadside bombing near the main U.S. base in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Her death brought to 88 the number of American troops killed in attacks since President Bush declared an end to major combat May 1. Two other Americans were wounded in this incident, U.S. officials said.

In Samara, some 100 kilometers north of Baghdad, US troops found 14 weapons caches, confiscating 60 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, as well 200 grenades, 150 mortar rounds, 60 mortar tubes and seven heavy machine guns, the US Army said.

Meanwhile, at the Ali Kazem al-Bayai mosque in southwestern Baghdad, several dozen Shiites gathered to protest the brief detention Tuesday of their preacher, Moayed al-Khazraji.

During the rally, several U.S. military vehicles arrived but were driven away in a hail of stones. A U.S. soldier fired a few warning shots in the air and several mosque security guards returned fire with handguns, but there were no injuries.

The Americans said the preacher was questioned about allegedly inflammatory sermons.

The Shiites warned if they did not receive a written apology from the Americans and Iraqi police within three days, they would turn against the U.S. occupation.

In the northern city of Mosul, police also fired warning shots in the air to disperse hundreds of jobless Iraqis who marched to an employment office and City Hall to demand jobs. The protesters also said they had been forced to pay bribes for jobs which never materialized. A similar protest was reported in Baghdad where protesters complained about corruption in the distribution of jobs. (Albawaba.com)